Altria Group, Inc. $MO Position Trimmed by Kennon Green & Company LLC

Kennon Green & Company LLC decreased its stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 6.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 108,443 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,796 shares during the quarter. Altria Group comprises 5.8% of Kennon Green & Company LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 4th biggest position. Kennon Green & Company LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $7,303,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 5.8% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 2,619 shares of the company’s stock valued at $191,000 after buying an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Altria Group by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,239 shares of the company’s stock worth $821,000 after acquiring an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. Bernardo Wealth Planning LLC raised its stake in Altria Group by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. Bernardo Wealth Planning LLC now owns 3,379 shares of the company’s stock worth $243,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Old Peak Finance LLC lifted its position in Altria Group by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Old Peak Finance LLC now owns 11,920 shares of the company’s stock worth $858,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the period. Finally, Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC lifted its position in Altria Group by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC now owns 23,324 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,678,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of MO traded up $0.53 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $67.88. The stock had a trading volume of 9,267,160 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,149,702. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $68.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $69.21. Altria Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $54.70 and a fifty-two week high of $77.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $113.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.32, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.42.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by ($0.02). Altria Group had a net margin of 33.99% and a negative return on equity of 315.29%. The firm had revenue of $5.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.35 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.44 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.610-5.720 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a $1.11 dividend. This represents a $4.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This is a boost from Altria Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. Altria Group’s payout ratio is presently 93.67%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Kathryn McQuade bought 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 9th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $67.62 per share, for a total transaction of $101,430.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 114,929 shares in the company, valued at $7,771,498.98. This trade represents a 1.32% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, June 21st. Barclays dropped their target price on Altria Group from $64.00 to $58.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. BTIG Research initiated coverage on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Freedom Broker upgraded shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Altria Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $70.11.

Altria Group Profile

Altria Group, Inc is a U.S.-based holding company focused primarily on tobacco and nicotine products. Through its operating companies, Altria manufactures and markets cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, oral nicotine products and electronic cigarettes. Its portfolio includes well-known brands such as Marlboro cigarettes, Copenhagen and Skoal smokeless tobacco, Black & Mild cigars, NJOY e-cigarettes and on! nicotine pouches.

Altria’s principal businesses include Philip Morris USA, the largest U.S.